Chapter 17 - The Raid at the Depot
The cavernous interior of the abandoned warehouse echoed with the sound of the two henchmen's heavy boots crunching against broken glass and concrete debris.
"Torres! We know you're in here!" the taller henchman yelled, his voice bouncing off the high steel rafters. "Hand over the flash drive, and nobody gets hurt!"
From the shadows near a rusted shipping container, Mariana stepped out into a shaft of sunlight streaming through a broken roof panel. She held the small USB drive up between her index finger and thumb.
"You want it?" Mariana called out, her voice calm and completely steady. "Come and get it."
The two men lunged forward, greedy grins spreading across their faces. But before they could take three steps, the entire warehouse lit up with blinding white tactical floodlights.
"FEDERAL POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPONS WHERE YOU STAND!"
Commander Vargas stepped out from behind a stack of steel crates, flanked by a dozen heavily armed federal tactical officers with assault rifles raised and safety catches flicked off.
"Don't move! Hands behind your head! Down on the ground right now!"
The two henchmen froze in absolute terror, dropping their weapons onto the concrete floor with a loud clatter as federal agents swarmed over them, slamming them face-first into the dusty ground and clicking steel handcuffs onto their wrists with practiced efficiency.
May you like
Commander Vargas walked over to Mariana, offering a respectful nod. "Well executed, Mrs. Torres. That flash drive contains enough data to dismantle Don Lorenzo's entire regional syndicate."
Mariana let out a long, ragged breath, letting the overwhelming tension drain from her body for the first time in days. She handed the USB drive to the commander. "Just make sure it stays out of the wrong hands, Commander. My daughter and I want our lives back."
